I’ve compiled 12 of my all-time favorite tips for boosting your productivity below – for those of you who love a good list!
12 tips to boost your productivity
Make the task fun. Think about the tasks you loathe doing. Now consider the possible ways you can make them more enjoyable. How about listening to a podcast while you sort laundry? Or playing music while you lift weights? Need to pay bills? Reward yourself with a sweet treat upon completion.
Say ‘no’ more often. Every time you say ‘yes’ to something, you are saying ‘no’ to something – or someone – that may be more valuable.
Remove distractions. Take a few minutes to think about what interrupts your work and causes you to lose focus. Do you need to turn the tv off? Silence your phone and put it in another room? Perhaps you need to eat a snack or grab some water or coffee. Is a bigger plan needed, such as scheduling a playdate for the children? Or a trip to the dog park to tire out the pups before you start your task?
Break tasks into subtasks. There may be more time and effort involved in your To Do list than you realize.
Determine your priorities. When many things seem to be of equal importance, how do you prioritize? Start by asking yourself some basic questions: Is there a deadline? Can I delegate this task? How long will this take? Am I the right person for this task? Is now the right time to work on this? What is the return on investment (or am I putting in a lot but not getting much in return)?
Don’t work from bed. You want your bed to be a place of peace and calm, not work stress.
Estimate accurately. Most people tend to underestimate the amount of time it takes to accomplish a task. To get an accurate assessment of how long it takes to complete an activity, start a timer. When your task is complete, stop the clock. Now you have an accurate record. This information can be used to help schedule the same (or similar) tasks in the future.
Give yourself a deadline. Use backward planning to figure out how much needs to be done each day or week to meet the deadline.
Delegate tasks. Many people have a hard time delegating. Try to think of delegating as optimizing the resources at your disposal. Resources can include people (staff, coworker, friend, family member, professional service providers) and more (automated bill pay and subscription services). You can ensure the best use of your time by reviewing your tasks and asking yourself, “Would someone else do this task better, faster, or even just good enough?”
Plan your day the night before. At the end of each workday take five minutes to jot down three items you want or need to accomplish the next day.
Set reminders. Use the Reminder feature on your phone for everything from important things (schedule Rover’s surgery appointment today) to little things (clean out the trunk Saturday morning). Let technology help you stay on top of what can easily fall through the cracks.
Enlist help. If you lack motivation to complete a task on your own, but don’t want anyone working alongside you, find someone to act as a virtual accountability partner. Knowing that someone else supports your idea and will hold you accountable is great motivation to push through a project you’ve been dreading.
Would you like to be more productive with your time in 2022? I’m scheduling projects for spring now. Contact me at melanie@resetorganizing.com or call/text (608) 345-1836.